discussion questions

"I, good sir, do not require a dumpling. It is not necessary by any means that I consume a dumpling. How kind of you to inquire!"

That's what the Storyteller was saying to the Scientist just as I opened this form to type to you, reader. I couldn't resist copying it down. Scientist replied.

"How about cheese? The cheese is cheesiest. The cheese has BEEN cheesed, cheesy cheese cheesed. Cheese!"

These are my sons.

Anyway, I was going to write about discussing books with children. Historically when planning out my homeschooling, I make up my own lists of books to read instead of purchasing those handy-dandy lists that come with schedules, background info and discussion guides. Choosing the books satisfies the hunter-gatherer, or maybe the shopper, inside of me. Scheduling them is delightful in its own little way, if you are the sort of person who likes a sweet spreadsheet. Gathering background information is great fun. That's part of the learning process; I do it with my children. Discussion, though. What to do about that? It doesn't come as naturally as you'd think, even with remarkably verbally creative children like the two quoted above. When I am faced with the need to engage officially in productive discussion of literature, I become an intellectual preschooler.

Me: "So... what happened in that chapter, eh?!"
Them: "Yeah."
Me: "When Charlotte died... that was sad..."
Them: "Yeah, I guess so."
Me: "What did you think?"
Them: "Well . . . I don't know."

Luckily for me, EduPress publishes this nifty little chart thingamabobble called Quick Flip Questions for Critical Thinking. It is like a plug-in-the-specifics discussion question creator. It's divided into five levels, each with a list of questions.

Level One's questions are:

What is ... ? Where is ... ? How did ... happen? Why did ... ? When did ... ? How would you show ... ? Who were the main ... ? Which one ... ? How is ... ? When did ... happen? How would you explain ... ? How would you describe ... ? Can you recall ... ? Can you select ... ? Can you list the three ... ? Who was ... ?

The questions increase in complexity as the levels go up. Some middle level questions are:

What would happen if ... ? Can you propose an alternative...? Can you elaborate on the reason ...? How would you test ... ? What are the features of ... ? What is the theme in ... ? How would you classify .... ? What is the function of ... ? Can you make a distinction between ... ? How would you use... ? Can you make use of the facts to ....? What questions would you ask in an interview with ... ? What other way would you plan to?

The questions in the last level are:

Do you agree with the actions ... ? with the outcome ... ? What is your opinion of ... ? How would you prove ... ? disprove ... ? Can you assess the value or importance of ... ? Would it be better if ... ? Why did they choose ... ? What would you recommend ... ? How would you rate the ... ? What would you cite to defend the actions ... ? How would you evaluate ... ? How could you determine ... ? What choice would you have made ... ? What would you select ... ? How would you prioritize ... ? What judgment would you make about ... ? Based on what you know, how would you explain ... ? How would you justify ... ? What information would you use to support the view that ... ? What data was used to make the conclusion ... ? Why was it better that ... ? How would you prioritize the facts ... ? How would you compare the ideas ... ? How would you compare the people ... ?

I love my flip chart. I use it often. Being kinda random about what I fill in the ellipsis with never seems to hinder the discussion process.

Another great resource is the syllabus for IEW's Teaching the Classics. It has a list of questions that is much more specific. There are like eighty-seven of them, I think. Here are some examples:

What is the mood or the atmosphere of where the story happens? Is it cheerful or sunny, or dark and bleak? What words or phrases or descriptions does the author use to create this atmosphere?

In what time of life for the main characters do the events occur? Does setting the story in this particular time of the characters' lives make the story better?

What does the character say about himself to other people?

Is the character educated? How do you know? To what degree?

Does the protagonist solve his own dilemma? Is it solved by some external source or 3rd party? Is he helpless to achieve his own goal (like Frodo in Lord of the Rings) or does he triumph by virtue of his own efforts (Odysseus in The Odyssey)?

Do you believe the characters' responses to the cataclysmic events, or are they anti-climactic in some regard?

What answer does the story provide to the question, "What is a good life?"

These questions are called "The Socratic List". You don't need to buy the whole DVD set to make good use of them. They're in the back of the workbook.

Between these two resources, I don't struggle much to initiate good conversations anymore.